See Europe On Two Wheels
SEE EUROPE ON TWO WHEELS
KEN CRAVEN
INTRODUCTION : Ken Craven and his wife Mollie have long been regarded as the experts and exponents of touring Europe by motorcycle. Not only have they both written extensively on the subject in British motorcycle journals and other publications including the daily press but they organize annual motorcycle party tours which they have personally accompanied to most European countries and even North Africa. Ken spent his later school years in New York and between spells of studying, he traveled extensively throughout the United States before returning to his native England. He is the manufacturer of the well-known luggage equipment for motorcycles which bear his name.
THE APPEAL OF Europe appears to be pulling keen motorcyclists across the Atlantic in ever greater numbers. The Continent is unique, for in a relatively small chunk of territory exist a lot of countries, none as big as Texas and most of them a great deal smaller, each with its own language or dialect, each with its own historical background and ancient architecture and with quite startling differences in topography and climate. Although I mistrust superlatives, it is the supreme terrain for the adventurous two-wheel enthusiast. The dream of touring Europe is fast becoming a practical reality for many Americans now that they have found they can order a new machine so that it is ready for them, awaiting their arrival, and whether they return by air or sea, the bike can be sent back by ship to continue adding zest to life in the "New World." The great joy of this scheme is that one has had the use of the vehicle in Europe for virtually nothing since, when all the costs, initial price, freightage, customs payments and the rest are taken into account there is virtually no difference in outlay to buying the same machine from the local dealer back home. Also, dollars have greater purchasing power when con-
verted into European currencies than they do in the land of their issue. As a result, there is a nice little margin left to contribute to the cost of Transatlantic fares. Naturally, the longer you stay in Europe, the proportionately greater the saving, and at least a month is a good plan.
The greater purchasing power of the dollar must, of course, be regarded as a general average. Some countries are more expensive to travel in than others and here I have France in mind. Gasoline is considerably more expensive in most places but this is not a major outlay for a vehicle which is renowned for its small thirst. Nor will the high cost of spirit, the drinking variety, greatly perturb the overwhelming majority of motorcyclists. Meat is also more expensive but restaurant meals tend to cost less; the expedient being to serve much smaller portions of this particular protein. I can promise that you will not suffer a dietetic deficiency on this account although some may nastily point out that we have not produced a winning heavy-weight boxer on this side of the Western Ocean for a considerable time! To this one could bring out an obvious retort that top racing motorcyclists seem to thrive!
It is no more than a pleasant day's drive through the Dolomites from a delightful hamlet tucked away in the Austrian Tyrol to some medieval city with its narrow stone-set streets, domes and colonnades contained within fortress walls which are still the kernel of so many Italian cities. In atmosphere, they are a thousand miles apart. Yet the great mistake of most Americans, and I am not singling you out, as this applies to my fellow countrymen equally, is to plan itineraries which are wholly unrealistic or suited only to trained athletes or supermen. From the nearest Channel port in England to the southernmost tip of Italy is barely more than halfway across the U.S.A., but it is still about 1,500 miles by a practicable route. Nor will the wise traveler stick entirely to the network of high-speed roads which are steadily spreading out to connect up the major cities as well as tourist areas.
After being projected across the Atlantic, most air travelers arrive somewhat dazed and disoriented. The loss of five hours daylight flying from West to East is disconcerting and you will have to accustom yourself to slumber while your watch says it is only late afternoon. Hence it is a good plan to start your acclimatization in Britain, as we speak approximately the same language and this makes for an easier introduction. Incidentally, our weather is not nearly as bad as rumor would have it and it is high time someone began to debunk the weather in Paris for a change! Our climate is very similar to that of all the Northern seaboard of Europe, though it is usually warmer in Scotland than the regions equally far north on the Continent proper — the benefit of being an island in a warm ocean current. Because Britain is a small island it confuses our visitors to discover how compact and concentrated it is; with so much to visit and so wide a variety of regional characteristics, it is inevitable that on a brief visit you can only get a slight impression. Thus it is important not to waste time in trying to see too much, or the wrong kind of things. The traffic density in Britain is 2Vi times that of the U.S.A. but there is a vast network of minor roads with excellent surfacing which are not congested. It is not a countryside which can be viewed at speed, and with a somewhat medieval layout of the lesser highways it is best not to try. It is fair to say that anywhere in Europe the secondary roads are interesting, reasonably good, and rewarding to the traveler (though in Germany a great concentration upon the main Autobahnen has led to a comparative neglect of minor roads which are rather inferior and confusing).
Major cities are best viewed from buses or tourist coaches. There is little scope for gazing at sights while you are in charge of a vehicle in a strange environment trying to find your way around a maze while all hell is let loose on the roads. The driving habits of other "nationals" always seem more maniacal than one's own until one becomes hardened to local procedures and homicidal traits. A garage is the best place for the bike but, lacking influence with the Mayor, you will need a little luck to find one easily. Motor vehicles by the million are an international plague! Places would be infinitely less crowded if only two wheels were permitted for private transport!
London is the home of the double-decker bus and there is a scheme of interchangeable "rover" tickets which allows much cheap touring of the whole London area. From the upper deck one can gain an ideal view while being transported around the ancient City or along the vast parks of the West End; a boat trip up-river to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and down-river to the huge docks and Greenwich Observatory (from which the globe derives its zero longitude) is a "must," and also gives a first-rate impression of the metropolis that first grew up alongside the banks of the Thames, Also, views from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral on a clear day, or a meal in the revolving restaurant on top of the Post Office Tower, London's tallest structure, will be a wise start to your visit. A trip to the Eiffel Tower is the way most wise tourists begin to get an impression of Paris, too. Flood-lighting at night is very popular with all the major European cities; Westminster Abbey looks glorious at night (its nine-hundredth birthday year celebrations are being held this year); and the Grande Place, Brussels or Notre Dame in Paris, silvery against a black sky, are sights you will never forget.
Lest this provokes the comment that the view from atop the Empire State is even more breathtaking, I can only go part way in agreeing because it is not feasible to compare the great National cities with each other. They have their own very different characters, architecturally and culturally. Inevitably, there will be differences of opinion; a person may like one city but not another, though this preference is likely to be influenced by chance encounter, the weather and the state of one's digestion. In general, most foreigners (and you will be one, too!) feel quickly at ease in London even if somewhat perplexed by the lack of symmetry to this great unstreamlined sprawl. Our pubs (public houses, taverns) are congenial places — differing from the conspiratorial tables in Continental cafes. Londoners, too, are the most polite and helpful of the great city dwellers, conversely less brusque and distrusting than is the norm. This opinion is not mine alone but I, personally, experienced this when I returned to the city of my birth quite lost and to all extents a foreigner except for my passport.
Taking nations as a whole, I find the Italians to be particularly helpful in a more volatile and demonstrative fashion except when they are behind the wheel of a car. Unfortunately, a lot of uninformed folk, not least the untraveled Britisher, have qualms about visiting the impoverished far south of Europe, Greece, the tip of Italy and Spain. "Will they strip the fittings from my bike?," are among the doubts I have heard expressed. Statistically, and this is an international phenomenon, the incidence of indictable crime, including petty theft, surges upward with increasing prosperity and improved standards of living. Or so my wife, Mollie, the Sociologist with Diploma, assures me. I imagine there must be exceptions to the trend, such as the poor island of Sicily which is renowned as a training ground for gangsters (and these were once their main export to the U.S.A.). Thus, statistically, your helmet can be left on your bike in greater safety in a ghetto than outside the Ritz and if it is stolen, no matter where, one has the doubtful consolation that the incident will have contributed to statistics!
WHERE TO STAY AND WHAT IT COSTS
In capital cities or industrial regions (if you must) my only suggestion is to act on recommendation and write in advance or book through a reputable travel agency. This may not always be feasible so you will have to take your chances. I am not evading the issue but how would a strange motorcyclist go about finding a hotel in a very large American city? However, most of the tourist regions of Europe are well served with small and comfortable hotels. The old hostelries which are scattered about the English countryside and in every market town have a long tradition of hospitality, having been coaching inns when the juvenile Danny Boone was putting the fear of God into his musketry tutor. Despite their "olde worlde" cozy charm you need have no qualms about the food, often listed in the good food guides, or the modernity of essential plumbing. In the appealing regions of Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland there are gasthofs even in remote hamlets. In common with the English inns, these are local taverns and cheerful places to spend an evening. Except for folk who have been born rich or have succeeded in deluding the income tax inspector, I would advise that they stay elsewhere than the more famous plush resorts. I, personally, have an aversion to the glossy hotels and particularly the motels which are situated adjacent to the autobahnen and the main through routes in Europe. They are "safe" in that they offer a uniform and institutional standard of comfort disguised with chrome embellishments at somewhat higher prices and are international in flavor. This applies to atmosphere, decoration and food in whatever language you may say it, but the main purpose of travel, surely, is the adventure of seeing and savoring the things that are different, and it is seldom necessary to go far off the beaten track to find a more typically regional hotel.
English is usually spoken by hoteliers, the smaller places also. But don't worry — a lot of other travelers, though Europeans, will be foreigners, too, once they are beyond their borders. One can resort to sign language without being self-conscious about it and, with practice, become remarkably fluent. For example, there was the time when I was in the hinterlands of Yugoslavia and the nipple pulled off the clutch cable. In a village restaurant, which was also the general store, I drew a picture of a soldering iron and made realistic sounds of a pressure stove and the sizzle of flux. I gave two such demonstrations to the puzzled proprietor before he beamed a smile of understanding. He disappeared into the back room to return ten minutes later with some sausages grilled on spits! I have achieved equal misunderstanding in languages in which my knowledge is wider such as the occurrence in a Trieste department store when I was nearly crowned by a shapely wench who only just managed to restrain herself. "Your Italian is becoming very fluent," remarked Mollie sardonically, and I have failed to convince her of my total innocence of intention. Yet, in the main, one manages, and it adds to the gaiety of nations.
And what are the costs of the smaller, appealing hotels? An average of five dollars for a good dinner, room and breakfast per person would amply cover it over a number of countries — less in Spain and a little more in France. It can be done for less if the reserves shrivel but it is remarkably easy to pay more — where is it otherwise? Yet the "Partitours" that Mollie and I organize work out to no more than six dollars a day for hotels which must be large enough to accommodate our groups of about thirtv, and some midday lunches will be included.
WHERE TO GO
For a great many there will be certain countries which have particular significance because of one's forebears. From the Fjords of Norway, through the tulip fields of Holland, castles by the Rhine to the Moorish-built towns by the Straits of Gibraltar, there is far too much history and geographical variation for me to consider even the briefest outline. I can merely dwell on a few of the more obvious "musts" and on some unusual aspects which could be easily overlooked.
I would put Venice at the top of my list of all the places that should be seen. Any description, verbal or photographic, falls short of reality, so it is the one place which is likely to exceed expectations. One can arrange accommodation on arrival through the municipal tourist desk which operates around the clock at the Agip garage where you should deposit your vehicle. Venice can be likened to a museum where you will be an onlooker. And look you will, and take photographs as fast as you can load from the water-buses that ply up and down the canals. After you have walked for miles along the footways and seen all the piazzas, you will probably find there is a limit to the amount you can absorb and be happy to move on with mental pictures that will endure for all time.
The French Riviera is another visual feast. Looking down from the Corniche that winds along the edge of the Alpes Maritimes there are the plush resorts of Monte Carlo, Villefranche and Nice; you may well feel that here is the supreme example of man combining with nature to make an earthly paradise. Yet, as a place to stay in, it is not "my cup of tea." It is a playground, a rather expensive one at that, in which I feel an onlooker and not a participant.
The matter of "participation" is to me a crucial one; a traveler does not thrive on sights alone. It is the human contact, not merely the backdrop, which makes a journey particularly memorable. The motorcycle itself is the supreme means of introduction. Fellow enthusiasts are numerous and, even if not, folk will tend to regard you with wonderment and friendly curiosity. Mollie and I can recall the circumstances of innumerable happy encounters. There was the time we were plodding on at night in Portugal pursued by an apparent maniac in a sports car who kept trying to pass us on a twisty, rain-sodden road. He forced us to a stop in the next town where we became his guests for the evening — he had been a leading Portuguese racing motorcyclist. We have made many friends with whom we are still in touch in many countries which would not have come about had we been using another means of transport.
For the really gregarious there are the race meetings and other events which take place throughout Europe in quick succession: the Isle of Man TT is quickly followed by the Dutch Grand Prix (June 25th), Belgian Grand Prix (July 3rd), Barcelona 24-Hour on the 9th and 10th and so on throughout the summer months. Such gatherings are highly social events with a truly international flavor and there is no need for introductions in the grandstand or the adjacent hotels.
For those who want to cover a lot of territory without exhausting themselves in the process, there is a steadily expanding vehicle air-ferry network which is not expensive with a motorcycle. But the most relaxing way to travel by bike is to go by sea! There is a regular service from Britain to North Spain and Portugal and we have frequently used the Royal Mail Line from the Port of London. These are big ships which carry on to South America and the three-day journey to Lisbon is quicker than one could reasonably do it overland and no more costly, taking everything into account.
There is a frequent service from Venice to Greece which voyages close to the mountainous coastline of Yugoslavia, calling at many picturesque ports. Alternatively, there is a constant flow of vessels operating in the Adriatic, meandering between the Yugoslav mainland and the countless islands nearby. It is worth mentioning that this exciting touring ground is considered entirely respectable by West Europeans and I understand the Yugoslavs will soon be opening an official tourist agency in the U.S.A.
WHAT SORT OF BIKE?
My love is for heavy caliber machinery and though my 650cc Matchless is now hitched to a sidecar, it will still cruise at 70 mph and touch ninety if conditions are favorable. Yet, in total contrast, I have never enjoyed a journey more than when I undertook a Continental test run on a 99cc Tina which had a maximum speed of 50 mph downhill with a following wind! Excluding the hilarious day I spent at the International Six Days Trial, held in Bavaria that year, I touched on five countries in three days and took three major Alpine passes in my stride. I could not have done much better with a roadburner. It is amazing how much territory one can cover on a pip-squeak, with little fatigue and ample opportunity to glance at the countryside as it burbles along.
There are no formidable complications whatsoever to seeing Europe awheel. All you need is enough spare time and money, and what's the hard stuff for except to gather and spend where it will give the greatest pleasure? For those with a minimum of these twin necessities, nowhere else could you hope to find so much variety and experience for modest outlay as on this ancient multi-lingual patch of continent.
People who are contemplating going to Europe this year and buying their machine over there should order the vehicle at once. Details of this procedure, and a wealth of general information relating to insurances, documentation, currencies, useful addresses and advice, have been prepared by CYCLE WORLD in conjunction with the author. This valuable information sheet is available free by writing to: Readers Service Dept., CYCLE WORLD, P. O. Box 20220, Long Beach, California.
